Sometimes I want a comforting bowl of chicken soup but don’t have the time to labor over the stove with multiple steps. Even when you have a cold and want chicken soup but are tired, you’ll be able to cook this up in a few minutes.

This recipe uses chicken broth from a box or can, but it still works nicely. Make sure to use a high-quality store-bought broth. Here, a simple mix of onion, carrot, tomato and zucchini enrich the broth. If you prefer dark meat chicken, go for skinned and boned chicken thighs and cook a little longer to make sure the thigh meat is cooked through.

I recommend using long grain rice so the soup does not become thickened and the rice keeps its shape. Long grain rice contains less starch than other varieties. When combined with heat and liquid, it releases less starch than shorter grain varieties. Traditional white and brown rice, jasmine rice and basmati rice are examples of long grain rice.

I like the addition of the tomato to bring sweetness to the broth. Fresh mint adds a hint of sweet and bitter to this simple, comforting soup. Save this recipe for the next time you are in need of a comforting bowl of chicken soup with limited time for cooking.